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Good Chicago Businesses For The Busy Family

May 4, 2012 2:00 PM

(credit: colorado.doortodoororganics.com)

By Hyacynth Worth

Life is busy, and family life is busier! The more people in the family, the more it seems like the schedule never sleeps. Luckily for Chicago-area families, there are services and businesses geared toward lightening the load for families and generally making life a little bit easier. (And best of all, many of them are eco-friendly and green!)

(credit: artizone.com)

Artizone Chicago

Need fresh organic ginger? Raw almonds? Artizone Chicago takes the leg work out of making rounds at specialty grocery stores by specializing in delivering to your home harder-to-find products. They also feature a moderate selection of fresh fruits and veggies along with meat, cheese, eggs and pantry items like noodles and organic tomato sauce.

(credit: colorado.doortodoororganics.com)

Door to Door Organics Chicago

Featuring fabulous produce, quality local organic eggs plus a variety of meats and cheese all delivered to your front stoop, Door to Door Organics doesn’t disappoint. Customers choose a box to be delivered weekly or every other week filled with fresh organic fruits and veggies that are readily available. Don’t like some foods? No worries! Simply add unwanted foods to a list and they won’t be included in your box. Take customization a step further and sub out up to five items in each box. Additional fruits and veggie orders as well as ones for meats, cheese and eggs are welcome! Also, Door to Door Organics has fabulous customer service, so likely, you’ll find satisfaction with the company beyond the food delivered.

(credit: kidsnips.com)

Kid Snips

Any parent and child duo who has endured a tearful haircut knows the wonders of a salon that caters to little one’s desires and needs. Little ones sit in an adjustable-height car during haircuts and are given a variety of toys for their playing pleasure while the stylist does his or her magic. Parents with more than one child will especially like the ease and enjoyment provided by the play-centric atmosphere, as there is plenty with which children can engage while a sibling is getting trimmed. Mom or dad can also get clipped while at Kid Snips, making it a one-stop haircut shop. Chicago features nine locations, as well, making it likely that a Kid Snips branch is nearby!

Little Beans Café

Mingling work, play and beauty, Little Beans Café seeks ways to make busy parents’ lives easier. Itching for a manicure but your salon doesn’t have a place for the little ones to play? Little Beans plays host to a mobile manicure service on Mondays. Need to get some freelance work done but have preschoolers who are begging to play? Little Beans offers supervised childcare while mom or dad takes advantage of free Wi-Fi in the café. Simply need a date night out? On certain nights mom and dad can drop off the kids for an evening of fun while they enjoy a quiet dinner alone.

Lifetime Fitness

At Lifetime Fitness, the entire family can engage in healthy habits like exercise, sports, swim and relaxation. During mom or dad’s daily workout, little ones are welcome in the supervised play area while older kids and teens can take classes or shoot hoops on the basketball court. The zero-depth pool is a perfect place for the whole family to relax and enjoy time spent together during a rare lazy weekend. Parents can even enjoy spa and salon services while the kids play in the supervised kids’ zone.

Drive Cleaning

With no delivery or membership fees, Drive Cleaning is a wonderful option for the busy family as it offers both pick up and drop off for laundry and dry cleaning. Families can schedule their pick up and drop off to arrive at their home or at mom or dad’s place of work. An added bonus? Drive Cleaning features eco-friendly and green cleaning, using GreenEarth cleaning methods to launder clothes reducing the level of toxins found in our environment and in our homes.

(credit: cleangreennappy.com)

Clean Green Nappy

Parents who love the idea of cloth diapering but cannot keep up with the laundry will find Clean Green Nappy as useful as it is eco-friendly and healthy. A bleach-and-chlorine free facility, Clean Green Nappy works together with parents to figure out an accommodating schedule to drop off clean diapers and pick up the soiled ones. Even the detergent used on the diapers is eco-friendly and safe for baby’s delicate skin as well as our environment.